Butterflies
by JoTheWeasley
Summary: Hermione never thought she'd ever get closer to Fred, but after Ron's death they bond while mourning together. The story of Fred and Hermione's relationship, set post-war, mostly in Hermione's point of view.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It's been three days since the battle ended. It's been three days since Ron died. It's been three days and all I've been doing is sitting in the corner of his room crying. But enough is enough. As I stand up and walk across the room, I stroke his bed and the rest of his belongings. I coat of dust sits on all his furniture now since he hasn't been home for months. It's sad to think that he won't be here ever again. I stroll out of the bedroom and down the stairs, looking at my feet the whole way down. On my way to the kitchen, I bump into Fred, who steadies my dazed self and looks at me, his eyes widening. All he manages to say is "Hermione..."

"Hi Fred," I say, still staring at my feet.

"Hermione, are you okay? I mean we haven't seen you for days. Mum said that she left food for you but you didn't touch it. She's so worried abo-"

"Fred, I'm fine, honestly. I guess I am a little hungry, but I'm going down to get something now. " I say, a smile creeping on my face. It's not like Fred Weasley to be panicky like he just was. I must have really caused a fright in the Weasley household.

"Calm down, Freddo," George says as he walks up behind Fred and pats him on the shoulder. "The girl's going through trauma and the last thing she needs is your ugly face bothering her."

Fred spins around and says in a jokey voice "Did you just say I was ugly, Georgey boy?"

"Well everyone knows that I'm the better looking one out of the two of us. Isn't that right, Granger?" He winks at me and I just laugh. I forgot how comforting it is to laugh and so I carry on.

"We'll see about that once I'm done with you," Fred says as he rugby tackles George into their bedroom.

I carry on down the stairs, a smile painted on my face. But once I get to the kitchen, it vanishes. The look on everyone's face when they see me is scary; every eye wide and staring, every mouth hanging open slightly. The first person who comes up to me is Mrs Weasley. I can see that her eyes a slightly red and puffy and her face looks a lot graver than before. She embraces me in a hug for a long time before letting go and looking into my eyes.

"I know how hard it must be for you, Hermione. All of us are going through the same thing and we have to stick together like a family from now on," She says, her voice quiet and hoarse. "I'll get you something to eat, you must be hungry."

She walks away and I sit down at the table next to Harry. He looks up at me and smiles faintly. I immediately see the guilt in his eyes, the guilt that he should not be feeling.

"Harry," I say "It's not your fault. Ron knew he was in danger while being with you ever since Dumbledore's death. I don't blame you for anything, we just have to stick together now."

Harry pulls me into a hug and says behind my ear "I thought you hated me. I'm so sorry. I just wish that he was here." And with that he starts sobbing into my shoulder.

That's when I notice how Ron's death has changed Harry. Harry has experienced so much loss in the past, but never anyone who was close to him as Ron. Ron was always there for him ever since our first year at Hogwarts. They were like brothers, so he must be feeling like the Weasley kids are now.

And that's when I realised that the Golden Trio would never be together ever again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

A few more days have passed now and I'm starting to feel a little better. Harry, Ginny, Fred, George and I have started going on daily walks together which has been really pleasant. The only thing is that Ron's not there.

Fred is being really nice to me at the moment. When he's alone, he's a bit more calm and sensible, but he still has a great sense of humour. Before, I thought that he was really immature, but now I'm really getting to know him better and I've discovered that he's a really nice guy.

I'm sitting in Ginny's bedroom, reading a book, when there's a knock on the door. It just happens to be Fred and I smile as he pops his head through the door. "Hello Hermione," He says. We're on a first name basis now.

"Good morning, Fred," I say, the smile never leaving my face. "What brings you here, to you're little sister's bedroom, on this fine day?"

"George has gone to the shop to start stocking the shelves. We're thinking of opening it up again in the next few weeks. I decided to stay here for a bit." he explains.

"Hmm... That's not like you, to part from your twin brother so easily. Is there a reason you're staying behind?" I ask mockingly.

"Well yeah, actually. I wanted to ask you something," he says, closing the door behind him and sitting on Ginny's bed in front of me. "Basically, our cashier, she well, she sort of... She was killed during the battle and we're looking for a replacement." His face is straight and slightly serious at the moment. "I was thinking that you'd be perfect. I mean, you're clever, pretty, really kind and you're beginning to be a good friend of mine. What do you think?"

I'm flattered and suddenly, excitement bubbles up inside me. A real life job! I know that it's not the best job in the world, but it's a job. It'll help take my mind off things and help me get back on my feet. My smile broadens considerably and I reply hastily "I'd love to! When do I start?" I ask.

Fred chuckles. "I knew you would. It's not like Hermione Granger to turn down work. You can start two weeks on Monday."

"Thank you!" I say, and without thinking, I fling my arms around him. Surprisingly, he doesn't seem awkward or stiff, he just hugs me back. His haircut reminds me of Ron and I start crying a little. The whole time he keeps hold of me and I feel safe and comfortable.

When we break apart, he wipes a tear away from under my eye and then places his hand on my shoulder. Smiling comfortingly, he says "I have to go now. I'll be back later, will you be okay?" he asks.

"Yes, I'll be fine. Thanks, Fred, you're a really good friend. If someone told me a few years ago that I say that now, I would have snorted." I say.

Fred just laughs and says "How people change. See you."

He walks out of the room and closes the door behind him. I lie back on my bed and stare at the ceiling, thinking about how the butterflies in my stomach got there.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The rest of the afternoon seems pretty boring after that. I peer out of the bedroom window, out onto the garden. I see Harry and Ginny sitting on the bench, wrapped around each other, kissing. I feel a twinge of jealousy and think of when Ron and I first kissed in the Room of Requirement. That was also the last time we ever kissed and I can't get my head around the fact that I'll never touch him again. After sobbing quietly for a while, I decide to lie down and fall asleep.

When I wake up again, I notice Ginny sitting on her bed in front of me. She looks at me slightly nervously and says "Hi, Hermione."

"Hey, Ginny. How are you?" I ask, realising that I haven't spoken to her in days.

"I'm okay. It's not easy but I'm getting through it alright. What about you? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think that I'm getting better. I miss him loads, especially our arguing. Oh, what I would do to have one more argument."

Ginny smiles weakly. "He really liked you, you know. He always talked about you during the holidays."

"I know," I say quietly, as I look down at my feet.

Ginny stands up and rests her hand on my shoulder. "You'll be okay. Do you want to come to Diagon Alley with me and Harry?"

"No thanks," I reply. "I'm just gonna stick around here."

"See you later, then," she says. She comes and hugs me and then leaves the room, closing the door behind her.

After about five minutes, I stroll out of the room and down the stairs. The kitchen is empty apart from Mrs Weasley. When she sees me, she stands up hastily and says "Oh, Hermione. Are you hungry, dear? I made you a sandwich for lunch but you didn't come down."

"Thanks, Mrs Weasley. I must have been asleep. It's so quiet isn't it?" I say.

Mrs Weasley sighs. "Yes, it is. I've always been dreading the time when my kids are all grown up. I mean, Ginny's not seventeen yet, but give it a month."

I hear a pop from the garden as I much through my sandwich. A few seconds after, Fred and George walk in, carrying a couple of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes boxes each.

"Afternoon, mother." George says behind one of the boxes.

"Hermione." says Fred, as he walks past the table. They both walk up the stairs, presumably to their room.

"It's so nice of them to stay here for a few weeks. It makes me feel better to have the remainder of my children around at a time like this," Mrs Weasley says.

I finish my sandwich, thank Mrs Weasley and then walk out into the garden. There is a cool breeze but the air is warm. Perfect weather in my opinion. I sit down on the bench that Harry and Ginny were on earlier and gaze into the bush. I think about Fred for a minute and about how kind he's been to me. I'm really beginning to like him, but I can't get too close while I'm still mourning for Ron. Besides, he probably doesn't like me in that way. Fred Weasley would never fall for me. I'm sure he's just being kind because he knows that I'm going through a tough time right now. I can't help myself but smile at that thought.

As I suspected slightly, Fred walks out into the garden towards me. I smile at him as he gets closer and ask "How's the shop?"

"Yeah, it's fine. We were just stacking shelves really. Do you fancy going for a walk?"

"Sure thing, I need to get some fresh air," I say.

We walk out of the garden through the gate and then down the path. We talk about the shop for a few minutes and Fred explains some of their newest products. I actually become intrigued by some of the magic they use on their products. It actually sounds really clever.

"Wow, Fred. I never thought that you guys used such advanced magic," I say, with a tone of surprise.

"What did you think we did? Accio our products from nowhere?" He says, tugging on a bit of corn sticking out from the field.

"No, I just thought that you had help from someone else," I say defensively.

"Nope, it all comes from up here," he says as he points to his brain. As he says this though, something catches his eye. I look in the direction where he's looking, seeing only a grass field covered in sprinklers. I instantly sense that something bad and immature is going to happen when he grabs my hand and sprints straight into it. We get sprayed and drenched within seconds.

"Fred!" I shout over the sound of gushing water. He looks at me and smiles broadly.

"I have to say, Granger. You do seem a bit wet to me." he comments.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." We both laugh and I slip on the grass.

He grabs me just before I fall and looks into my eyes. He moves wet hair off my face, never breaking eye contact. I look away, catching sight of the sunset.

"It's getting late, Fred. I think we should go back." I say and we walk out of the range of the sprinklers and back to the Burrow.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Once we get back to the Burrow I run upstairs into Ginny's bedroom and fall onto my bed. I hug my pillow and sob into it as I think about the look Fred gave me back in that field. I know that look, it's the same look Ron gave me after he kissed me and a couple of times after that. It's a look of love and affection. I can't let myself fall for it, because otherwise I'll regret it. I don't look up when the bedroom door opens because I already know who it is.

"Hermione, what's the matter?" Fred asks from the door.

"Just leave me alone, Fred. I'm grieving okay?" I answer, a little too aggressively than I expect.

"No, I won't. Because we were having a fun time back there and then you suddenly switched off on me. If it's that I remind you of him, I can do nothing about that. Being his brother does give us similar qualities, but what am I gonna do about it?"

"It's not just that, Fred. I need to be honest with you here. When you looked at me back there. When you looked right into my eyes in that field, I recognised the look. Yes, it was Ron's look, but not his normal one. That was the look Ron gave me after he kissed me, Fred, and I saw that exact look in your eyes earlier."

Fred sighs slightly, and sits down on Ginny's bed. He leans forward towards me and says "Okay, Hermione. You might not appreciate me saying this at this moment in time, but I will anyway. I've had a crush on you for quite some time now. I mean, way before Ron died, I'm talking when we were still at Hogwarts. My seventh year to be precise, when you kept telling George and me off for using our products on first years. I don't know, there was something about you then that just caught my attention back then and I've had you in my mind ever since."

I sit silently for a moment, until suddenly anger boils up inside me. "So you've had a crush on me for what, almost three years, and you're telling me this now?"

"Look, Hermione, it's not as simple as that. I haven't seen you often since then and so I haven't had the chance or the courage to tell you."

"Wow, Fred, you of all people to be scared of asking out a girl. You asked out Angelina pretty easily though."

"Yeah, but now I look back at that, it seemed easy. I liked her, but that's nothing compared to what I feel for you. You see, there's something about you, Hermione, that makes my heart race. Seeing you brightens up my whole day, that's part of the reason I asked you to work in the shop with us. Because when George and I move back into our flat again, I won't see you every day. Over the past few days, I've got to know you better and it just confirmed the fact that I'm in love with you."

I'm getting really hot now and I'm trying to hide the fact that I like him too. All I say is "Fred-"

But before I can say anything more, he's leaned forward and pressed his lips on mine. I don't break apart though, because it feels so right. He parts my lips with his and gets more passionate. I subconsciously put one hand on his neck and the other on his shoulder. I've long forgotten about Ron because all I can think about is Fred. My hand moves up to his hair and moves through it. Just as my other hand moves down to his abs, the door swings open.

We don't break apart in time though, and when we look up, we look into the shocked faces of Harry and Ginny. Ginny is the first one to speak after a few awkward seconds. "Fred, get out of my room. You too, Harry, we need to sort this out."

Fred almost runs out of the room and Harry follows behind him. Ginny comes over and sits down where Fred was sitting just seconds ago. She shakes her head and says "Well, haven't you got yourself in some deep shit."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

I look up at Ginny and a tear runs down my face. "What did I do?" I ask not only her, but myself.

"Hermione, you're an emotional mess. What you did is completely understandable. Besides, would Ron really want you to be sitting in a corner thinking about him all the time? I mean, I know that it's a bit quick, it's only been a week, but it's better to move on now than never."

"Not just yet," I say, as I wipe my tears away. "Fred is a really nice guy and everything, but I'm not ready for it yet."

"Well, tell him that. I'm sure that he'll understand." Ginny says as he rubs my arm. "If not, then tell me and I'll sort him out for you."

I smile slightly and stand up. "I should probably go and see him then."

I walk out of the room and down to the twins' bedroom. Just before I knock on the door, however, I hear voices from inside.

"For the sake of Merlin, Fred, just because she's a wreck at the moment, it doesn't mean you can take advantage of her like that." I hear George say.

"I didn't take advantage of her! I didn't know what came over me, I just kissed her." Says the shaky voice of Fred.

"You have to be careful, though, Freddie. She was with Ron, and you kissing her during her grieving is not going to make things any better"

"God!" Fred cries "Why am I such an idiot. She's gonna hate me now. Why couldn't I just leave my feelings for later?" I hear Fred's sobs and decide to back away from the door. Now is not the best time. I sit down on the stairs and put my head in my hands. I feel so terrible now that I've hurt Fred as well. I think about what Ginny said, about how it's best to try and move on. I try to think about how Fred and I could work, but I can't think straight, so I decide to go to bed and leave it until the morning. I get up, and walk back to Ginny's room.

"So? What did he say?" Ginny asks, but when I don't reply she says "Was he horrible to you? That slimy git, I'll-"

"Ginny, I didn't talk to him. I just need time to think." I say and I lie down in my bed and fall asleep almost instantly.

When I wake up again, I feel slightly better and more relaxed. That doesn't mean I forget what happened the night before though. I get dressed and brush through my hair and then go downstairs for breakfast. The only people at the breakfast table are Mrs Weasley, Ginny, Harry and George. I sit down next to Ginny and notice that everyone is looking at me apart from Mrs Weasley who probably doesn't know anything about what happened. I butter my toast in silence and take a bite. I look at George, his face expressionless, and wonder if he's angry at me. I finish my toast quickly, and then run back upstairs away from the awkward breakfast table.

I hear muttering from the kitchen as I reach the first floor but I really couldn't care less. I knock on the twins' bedroom door, knowing that Fred is in there and hear him reply "Who is it?"

"It's Hermione," I reply."

"Come in," he says.

I open the door and am shocked about how spacious the room is. There are two beds at either side of the room and a pile of Weasley products in the corner. Beside each bed is a table with a lamp, and in between is a lime green carpet. Lying on the bed to the right is Fred, wearing only boxer shorts. "Hi," I say a bit awkwardly.

"Sorry about my current appearance, it's just so warm in this room at the moment," he says, sitting up. "So what can I do for you."

"Look, Fred, I need to talk to you. I've put some though into what happened last night. At first I felt really guilty, but now I think that it's about time I moved on," I explain.

"Okay then, so that means...?"

"I want to give us a go. I mean, only if you want to. Because though that kiss felt slightly wrong, it felt even more right."

Fred stands up and walks over to me. He looks into my eyes and strokes my cheek with his thumb. "You're beautiful, Hermione Granger. I love you," he says, and then he kisses me, this time a little more roughly than before. We keep kissing as he puts his hand under my t shirt and rubs my stomach. I pull away.

"Fred, not here. What if George comes in?" I say.

"You're right," he says "Hold my hand."

And before I realise what he's doing, we're apparating. We end up in a corn field , where the corn is so high that you can't see anywhere around you.

"I used to come here as a child with George. This used to be our hiding place where no one would find us. I'm hoping that it's the same now."

And then Fred starts kissing my neck as he lowers me onto the ground. The rest that happens needs not to be explained.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, this is my first proper fanfic for those of you who didn't know and so far I've kept it a bit short. I feel that I should be making the chapters longer so from Chapter 6 onwards, I will be writing more. :) Thanks to everyone who's reading and remember to write reviews so that I know what to improve! :)**

**Chapter 6**

Fred and I return back to the Burrow a bit late this afternoon. Fred apparates straight into his bedroom while I apparate into the garden. This is because if George is in the bedroom, it would look suspicious if we both appeared in the room, Fred wearing nothing but boxers.

I stroll into the kitchen with a spring in my step and sit down at the table where almost everyone else is. I notice Percy sitting there too and I greet him kindly. Ginny turns round to me and whispers "Where have you been all morning?"

"I just went for a walk," I say as innocently as possible.

"With Fred I'm guessing?" she says. Her eyes raised slightly.

"Possibly," is all I say.

Just after that, Fred walks down into the kitchen, wearing clothes. I can see his happy attitude far too easily and I can't help myself from smiling. He winks at me as he sits down next to George and, thankfully, nobody sees it. Everyone chats away as we eat dinner and Fred and I keep catching each other's eye. One time, though, he stares at me and wiggles his eyebrows. Then he looks around and says "Excuse me," And then he gets up and leaves.

I know that he wants me to leave the table too so I look around my empty plate. I notice my half full butterbeer bottle and start fiddling with it. Then I "accidently" knock it over onto myself and it covers my t-shirt and shorts.

"Woops," I say "I think I need to go and clean myself up."

And then I leave the table too and walk up the stairs, where Fred waits for me.

"Hello beautiful," he whispers as I enter his bedroom. "You've got yourself into a bit of a mess haven't you? But then again, I am totally worth it."

I laugh "Honestly, Fred, you're such a tease. Besides, my muggle boyfriend is so much hotter than you."

"Hmm... I bet he's not as good at some things as me. Let's be honest, I gave you the time of your life in that field, something that no one else but me could give you" he says as he plays with his quaffle.

"Now, Fred, be modest. Or I'll have to run away to him," I tease, as I creep nearer to him.

"You wouldn't, because you can't resist me. And I know it."

I sit on his lap and kiss him full on the mouth, without any hesitation, because he's right. Now I have come to the point where I really can't resist him. We wrap our arms around each other and fall back on his bed. We don't stop kissing for another five minutes or so until George comes in.

"Honestly, you guys. Can't you get you're own room. Ron's room is free if you wanna do the frickle frackle in there," he says.

That's when I stop kissing Fred. The thought of Ron comes crashing into my mind. The worst thought though is me and Fred sleeping together in his room. I run out into Ginny's room. I hear Fred raise his voice at George "Well done you tosser." and then he follows behind me.

"Hermione, wait!" he shouts, as I lie face down on my bed. "Hermione..." He holds my shoulders and pulls me up to a seated position.

"I'm so sorry, Fred. I don't know what came over me. His name just-"

"I understand, I know that it takes time. I don't blame you." He hugs me close and I hug him back.

"Can you stay in here with me? I usually sleep my stress off, it makes me feel better." I ask.

"Of course," he replies and then he lies down and I fall asleep on his chest.

When I wake up again, it's dark. Fred is still there and he's asleep. I look as his face in the moonlight and observe it for a while. He is so beautiful; his jaw line, his cheekbones, his lips and his hair. I stroke his face gently and he doesn't move or shift one bit. He must be a deep sleeper, which is adorable. I listen to his beating heart and feel his even breaths as his chest rises and falls beneath me. I look over at Ginny's bed, where she is fast asleep. I sigh slightly; I was sort of hoping that we were alone but that's never the case in this house.

I feel that I can't sleep any more so I kiss Fred's forehead and slip out of the room. It's a humid in the house tonight, so I decide to go out into the garden. It's not that dark but I get out my wand and light it up anyway. I realise that I haven't used my wand much since the battle; I guess I just had no purpose for it before. I sit down on the bench and for the first time in weeks, I think about my parents. It dawns on me that they're still in Australia, thinking that they're crazy tourists. I guess that I will have to do something about that eventually, but for some reason, the fact that they're not doesn't bug me that much. It's strange, because I really do love my parents, but I guess Ron's death has numbed my emotions slightly.

I hear a twig snap nearby and quickly point my wand in the direction of the sound. My wandlight shines into Freds face, and I sigh in relief. Hiding away for a year really makes you aware.

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"I awoke to an empty bed, so I came looking for you. Besides, it's not like you were hard to find, that wand light is bloody bright," he says, squinting at the light.

"Sorry," I mutter as I put out the light. "I couldn't sleep."

"I'm not too tired either, do you wanna do something?" he asks

"It depends what you're suggesting," I say, excitement filling up my insides.

"How about this?" he says, and then he leans in to kiss me, something I love him doing.

He puts one hand on my back, and the other on my neck as kiss him back. He breaks the kiss quickly as he leads me into the Weasley's orchard, out of sight from the Burrow, and pushes me against a tree, continuing with our kiss. This time, he lifts my top off and places kisses down my collarbone. I rub his abs and then take off his t-shirt. We keep going like this and then the night fades away around us and we become one.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys, I'm including Nuna in my story because I honestly believe that it should be canon. I'm prepared to go down with this ship! Remember to review! :)**

**Chapter 7**

The next few weeks fly by and before I know it I'm starting work at the twins' shop. Fred and I are sitting in the back room as he goes through everything with me. He gives me a pricing list and sheet where I have to note down all the purchases that are made in a day. It's made of self-calculating paper which adds up all the prices and tells you whether you've made a profit or not. Another of the Weasley's inventions that I have come to admire.

"I think that's just about everything you need to know for now, Miss Granger. It's a pleasure to take you on board." We shake hands and he gives me my name badge which says "Hermione, Cashier"

I pin it onto my brand new, purple, Weasley Wizard Wheezes staff t-shirt and beam at my boyfriend. "Oh, don't worry Mr Weasley. I'm sure I will love working here, and even if I don't, the pay is pretty good, so I'm not leaving."

"Is it me, or is my sense of humour starting to wear off on you?" he asks curiously.

"Perhaps it is, isn't that amazing?" I say as I wrap my arms around his neck.

"I guess it saves me having to make the jokes all the time, yeah," he replies, smiling, before he kisses me.

Fred checks his watch and looks at me. "It's your time to shine, Granger. Good luck," he says and then he guides me to the till. I place my ink and quill on the desk along with the two sheets I was given earlier and wait patiently for the first customers to arrive. Fred squeezes my hand and tells me that I'll do great before he goes to promote the products they have for sale.

For the rest of the day, I watch as the twins entertain their customers and catch myself laughing at times. I recognise many Hogwarts students from younger year groups come up to the till and pay for things. Many of them say hello to me too which makes me happy. Throughout the day I also see many of my peers from school like Neville, Luna, Dean and Seamus. Dean and Seamus wave to me before they leave whereas Neville and Luna come up and talk as soon as they see me.

"Hi Hermione! Fancy seeing you working here," Neville exclaims

"Hi guys, yeah, Fred offered me the job and I took it because I think it's about time I started saving up for an apartment, I can't stay with the Weasleys forever." I say just as Fred walks round the counter to me. He hugs me from behind and looks over my shoulder at the list of purchases.

"How are we doing?" he asks.

Neville and Luna raise their eyebrows as Fred continues hugging me until he looks up at them, still not letting go.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention, Fred and I are together. As in, he's my boyfriend." I explain, which neutralises their confused looks. Fred nods on my shoulder and they just smile.

"Oh, that's brilliant!" cries Luna "Neville and I are an item too."

"That's adorable, you guys are so cute together," I say, failing to contain my exciting.

"Just like you and me right, Granger?" Fred says, twisting his neck to look at me.

All I do is smile and say "Of course, you daft dimbo."

The rest of the day is pretty uneventful after that apart from the fact that I was serving customers, which turned out to be really fun. It's likely that the whole wizarding world knows about Fred and me now considering how he hugged me and kissed me in front of everyone every once in a while. I don't mind though; let them gossip.

We return to the Burrow just before 7pm that evening where dinner is ready for us on the table. Mrs Weasley definitely uses that clock of hers, because how else would she have known that we were coming? When we sit down to eat, Harry comes up and asks me how it was working at the shop. I tell him all about the job, the people I met and how Neville and Luna are a couple. Him and Ginny beamed brightly when I told them about that.

After Dinner, George tells us that he's meeting someone at The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmede and runs up to his room. Fred raises an eyebrow at me and I shrug.

"It's not like my brother to be secretive, I think we should pay Hogsmede a visit this evening, Harry? Ginny? Are you coming?" he asks them.

"Of course, I'm not missing out on the fun, " Ginny says excitedly.

So we wait until George bids us goodbye and leaves the house. We put on our jackets and apparate to Hogsmede; Ginny side-alongs with Harry. After a few seconds, we are standing in the lamp lit street and looking around for George. Harry catches sight of him entering the Three Broomsticks. We try to look casual as we walk towards the inn and when we get there, Fred looks through the window.

"Okay, George is sitting at the back with... wait, is that Angelina?" Fred asks and Ginny shoves him out of the way. She presses her face against the window and laughs.

"Yep, I'm pretty sure that's Angelina," she confirms, looking amused.

Fred's face matches hers when he walks to the door and pulls the handle. I stop him just before he opens it fully.

"Fred, you can't just go storming in there. Give him some space, that's what he did for us," I say, tugging on his arm.

Fred lets go of the door handle and looks at me. "You're right," he says, "It's only fair." He walks back to the window and then jerks his head away again. "Okay, they're snogging. Shows over folks, nothing to see here."

We all laugh and walk away from The Three Broomsticks, our spirits high. "Well, now that we're all out here, we might as well do something," Ginny suggests. She grabs Harry's hand and leads him to the Hog's Head. Fred and I follow, hand in hand as they enter the pub. I am overwhelmed when I reach the inside. The place looks so much brighter and cleaner as opposed to the old grubby interior. There are red armchairs around smooth, brand new tables, a big Hog's Head on the one of the walls, the bar is cleaner and now there is a wide selection of drinks behind it, but the biggest shock is Aberforth. His hair is cut to shoulder length and his beard is gone. The only reason I recognise him is because of his eyes, which match Professor Dumbledore's.

"Hello, Aberforth," says Harry as he approaches the bar.

"Oh, hello there, Harry. How are you?" Aberforth asks.

"Oh, I'm fine thanks, it's hard but I..." And they fall into a conversation about the war, which I don't really want to listen to. So I lead Fred into one of the armchairs and I sit on his lap, leaning into him.

"I don't really don't want to talk about the war. I just want to sit here with you." I say, looking up at Fred.

"Yeah, me neither. But I guess Harry's one of those people who need to talk their pain out of them. Let him talk, you don't have to listen." Fred says as he strokes my cheek.

I smile and kiss him. Then I lean my head on his shoulder and close my eyes.

The next thing I know is I'm lying back in my bed, with my boyfriend by my side, just how I like it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

I awake the next morning with Fred no longer by my side. I sit up and look around; Ginny is still fast asleep so I check my watch. It says 5am which makes me wonder why Fred left. He usually stays by my side until I wake up.

_Maybe he's gone to the toilet _I think to myself and then I lie back down again.

But when he doesn't return for another half hour, I get a little upset. I decide to go to the toilet because I can't sleep any longer. As I pass the twins' bedroom, I hear their voices whispering.

"George, you're so lucky. Angelina was never that loving to me. I wanted her so bad but she just pushed me away after the Yule Ball." I hear Fred say, a twinge of jealousy inside me. Thinking about Fred fancying Angelina makes me feel uneasy.

"She did like you, Fred. She just thought that we were really immature back then, because lets face it we were," George says calmly.

"So this time she fell for you, what a player..." Fred says.

"I hope you're not jealous Freddie, you do have a girl of your own to think about," George says.

"I'm not jealous! I have the perfect girl, who needs Angelina?" Fred says, a little to quickly for my liking.

I walk back up to Ginny's room, thinking about everything Fred said, and feeling the anger boil up inside me. Who cares if Angelina was never that loving to him? Isn't it more important that I'm being loving to him now? Or was this all a joke? Maybe he still has feelings for Angelina, maybe he has none for me.

I fall back into my bed and sob into the pillow for about ten minutes until Ginny wakes up.

"Hermione? Hermione," she runs over and sits next to me, stroking my back. "What's the matter?"

"I was so stupid! I knew I should never have fell for it! Why did I do it? I miss Ron so much," I say into my pillow.

"Hermione, is this about Fred? What's up, what did he do?" she asks, her knuckles cracking.

I sit up suddenly and wipe the tears away from my face. "Don't worry, Ginny. I need to go sort this out myself," I say, standing up.

"Are you sure?" Ginny asks as I walk across the room.

"Yes, I am." And then I shut the door behind me.

Once I've dragged Fred across the garden and into the orchard, I shove him against a tree.

"Hermione, what the hell are you doing?" Fred shouts, a confused look in his face.

I ignore the question. "I might be being really paranoid right now, or overreacting ever so slightly, but I eavesdropped you're conversation with your brother just earlier. The one where you were telling him how lucky he is to be with Angelina."

Fred exhales and looks at his feet. I'm sensing guilt. "Hermione, it's not what you think. I don't even like her any more," he tries to explain.

"Uh huh, I'm not too sure, because you sounded pretty jealous to me," I say, not looking straight in his eyes.

"Hermione, that's rubbish! I'm not jealous, I have you." He tries to stroke my face but I back away, feeling no remorse.

"Do you really love me Fred?" I ask him.

"Of course I do! I do love you." He replies, looking as if he's going to cry.

"I need time to think about it," I say and then I spin on my heel and walk back to the Burrow, not glancing back once. I hear his sobs behind me and I know that I've been too harsh, but I can't turn back now, it's too late.

When I enter the kitchen, none other but Angelina Jordan is standing there with George. She greets me, but all I do is glare at her and carry on up the stairs. When I reach Ron's room at the top, I close the door and crumple onto the floor and stay there. I am an emotional mess and I don't even know why. I'm sure Fred was telling the truth but now he's going to hate me, all because my hormones are raging through me. I don't know what to do so I fall asleep, something I always do when I'm stressed. But this time I can't because Fred isn't by my side.

I hear the door open and someone steps inside. "Hermione?" I hear Harry say.

"Leave me alone, Harry. Go back to your girlfriend." I say.

He doesn't say anything for a while, but he doesn't leave. Instead he walks over to Ron's chest of drawers and picks up his Victor Krum mini figure. After admiring it for a while, he comes and sits down next to me, his back leaning against Ron's bed frame.

"What's the matter?" he asks calmly.

"I don't know, I felt like I wanted to kill Fred just now for the stupidest reason." I say, still lying down.

"That happens," Harry says. "Ginny's like that to me sometimes too. But we sort it out in the end. We talk about it. You might want to give it a while to cool off though, you still look pretty scary."

I slightly. "I miss Ron," I say as I sit up.

"Me too," he says "It's too quiet without him."

I sit down next to Harry and lay my head on his shoulder. We sit in silence for a while, just like that time in our sixth year when Ron ran off with Lavender. Harry has always been there for me and still is now. He's a shoulder to cry on in situations like these, which I appreciate so much.

"C'mon," he says. "Let's cheer you up."

He leads me out into the hallway and down the stairs. We enter Ginny's room where she sits on her bed. On a little table between mine and her bed is a big pile of sweets like chocolate frogs and Berty Blott's every flavour beans. _Most of the stuff Ron loved _I think to myself and I can't help but smile.

Harry sits down next to Ginny and I sit on my own bed and then we get talking. I become happier and happier and we laugh the night away. We drink lots of butterbeer and a lot more fire whiskey. I've never felt so light headed and at this moment in time, it feels great to be with my best friends.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N**

**Hi everyone! This chapter's going to be a little different because it's set in Fred's point of view. It's basically set just after Hermione has a go at him and then storms off. I sort of felt it necessary to write in this chapter because it's good to know what Fred's feeling during this time, I don't want everyone to feel left in the dark because his character is just as important as Hermione's in this story.**

**As always, remember to review, follow and favourite because you don't want to miss out on any action, do you? **

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**Chapter 9**

I stare at her beautiful body as she storms away towards the house. I sink down to the ground, feeling helpless as I let the tears come flooding out. Why does she hate me so much? Why doesn't she trust me? I put my head in my hands and scream as loud as I can, not caring about anyone who might hear it. I run into the kitchen and pass George and Angelina who both greet me.

"Fred, the shop opens in half an hour," my twin says.

"I'm not going to the f*****g shop today, George. Go without me," I spit at him and before running up the stairs, I throw Angelina a dirty look. When I reach my bedroom, I slam the door behind me and sit in front of it, crying loudly. After a few minutes, I get up and strip down into my boxers and climb into bed, a picture of me and Hermione crumpled in my hand as I fall asleep.

I wake up several hours later but I don't get up. I lie on my tear stained pillow and think about Hermione and her bushy hair and her curvy body and how I love her so much. Then I think about her questioning my love for her and ask myself why. Probably because my ex-girlfriend is on the scene only a couple of weeks after Hermione and I got together.

My heart aches as I crave Hermione's body next to mine, to feel her breath on my shoulder, to look into her perfect, brown eyes. And then I realise, what if this is it? What if she ended it and wants nothing to do with me anymore? That is when I realise that my worst fear is losing Hermione.

I get up and get dressed again and then hurry up the stairs towards Ginny's bedroom. I knock on the door and enter before anyone replies. I find that it's just Ginny in there sitting on her bed. When she looks up at me, a scowl appears on her face.

"Get out of my room, Fred," she says, her face never changing.

"Where's Hermione?" I ask her, ignoring her.

"Anywhere to get away from you, you slimy git."

"Ginny, you have no idea what's going on so stay out of this."

"Oh, I have a perfectly clear idea about what's going on, Fred! You going all starry eyed over Angelina again now that George has her, that's what's going on. You are one two-timing, back-stabbing bastard."

"That's bulls""t! I have no interest in the cow! If you've been twisting her mind about me, I will kill you!" I start to get really angry now.

"Say what you like, but I don't think she'll be running back to you any time soon. By the look of her, I think that she's just about done with you."

That's when I run out of the room and out into the garden. I apparate to the Leaky Cauldron and drown myself down with butterbeer, because I don't want drink myself silly and get drunk. I'm on my twelfth bottle when I check my watch. It's 6pm. I hadn't realised how long I'd been in the Leaky Cauldron so I finish my last bottle, quickly use the bathroom and then apparate back to the Burrow.

Once I return to the Burrow, I slouch up the stairs towards my bedroom. Just before I enter though, I hear laughter from above. I climb one more flight of steps and realise that it's coming from Ginny's room. I stand next to the door my ear pressed against it.

"Hermione, I couldn't help but notice that you're looking mighty fine, tonight. Don't get too pleased that I'm complementing you though, I won't bang you, I have my own right here," I hear Harry say. It's not like him to say something like that, he must be drunk. I don't interfere yet though, I am eager to hear more.

"Oh well, Harry that's a shame you know, because I'm not sure if anyone wants to bang me any more, siigghh, siigghh. Can you pour me some more Firewhiskey please," says Hermione, evidently also drunk.

I decide to barge in now, because I don't want Hermione drinking any more. When I enter the room, everyone looks up at me.

"Hermione, c'mon, you've had enough to drink," I say as I walk over to her and take her arm.

She jerks away. "You're not my dad, Fred," she says, pretty rudely.

"I'm worried for you, that's all. Come and lie down."

"Piss off, you tosser, I'm having a good time. Why do you always have to ruin everything?"

"Hermione, I'm not joking, you need to-"

But before I finish my sentence, she slaps me.

"I said, piss off!" she shouts.

"Fine," I say defeatedly "Fine, I will. And it'll be for good this time."

I leave the room, slamming the door behind me. I rub my cheek as I make my way down the stairs and into my room. When I get there, I undress and get into bed. I try to fall asleep but I can't because I can't get her out of my mind.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello! The POV is back to Hermione now. I might write another one in Fred's POV but I'll have to see about that. **

**Please review! It's really helpful to hear about things I can improve. Thanks! :)**

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**Chapter 10**

My head hurts so much as I wake up the next morning. It feels as if someone is hitting it with a saucepan every two seconds. I am lying on my stomach with my face looking to the side. I've been dribbling because I can feel it on my pillow under my mouth. I open my eyes slowly and notice something which is displeasing to the eye. Harry and Ginny lay on her bed, wrapped in each others arms, completely naked. This is when I wake up fully. I get up, walk over to their bed and place the cover on top of them so I don't have to look at them any longer.

I must have passed out the night before because I don't remember a thing. The last thing I remember is slapping Fred and watching him leave the bedroom. I feel a twinge of guilt and I sit down on my bed again. Our relationship is a mess at the moment, and I'm going to have to do something to clear it up because I don't want to lose Fred. He is my rock, he's there to comfort me when I'm reminded of Ron, he's there to cuddle when I'm feeling down.

I notice that I reek of alcohol so I take a shower and put on some clean clothes. Then I make my way down for breakfast. As I walk past the twins' bedroom, I can't help but hesitate and stare at the doorway. But I decide to leave it and continue down to the kitchen. When I get there, Mrs Weasley bids me good morning and places a plate of scrambled egg on toast beneath me. I notice how hungry I am when the smell enters my nose and I eat it all in one go.

After about ten minutes of sitting at the table and chatting to Mrs Weasley about the possibility of a new apartment, George comes down and sits next to me. I am eager to know how Fred is so I ask him straight away.

"He's really depressed. I've never seen him in such a state and by the look of him this morning, I don't think that he got much sleep," George explains.

I feel so bad. "Oh, I'm such an idiot," I say "I need to go see him, I can't leave this any longer."

I stand up from the table, thank Mrs Weasley and run up the stairs. When I reach the bedroom door, I knock and enter. Fred is lying on his back and staring at the ceiling. He doesn't look over when I enter.

"Yes, mum. Yes, I am going to the shop, George. Whatever, Ginny," is all he says.

"Fred, it's me," I say.

He looks over at me and sighs. "I should have known it would be you."

"Look, Fred, I am so sorry. I overreacted, I was too hard on you. I'm an idiot, well actually I'm a girl, we tend to get pissy about everything." I say, trying to lighten the mood.

"You're not the idiot, Hermione. It's me. I admit that I did feel a little bit jealous of George to begin with, but now, after everything, I realise how stupid I was. The only person I want is you, it's you who belongs to my heart."

Fred stands up as I walk across the room to him. He embraces me in a hug and I say "I love you, Fred. And I know that you love me too."

"You've got that right, Hermione Granger," He says before kissing my forehead.

Mrs Weasley's voice comes down from the kitchen below. "Everyone, come downstairs now!"

I wait outside for Fred as he gets changed and I see Ginny and Harry hurrying down the stairs; Harry pulling on his t-shirt as he runs.

"You had a good night last night, didn't you?" I say teasingly as they run past me. Ginny just laughs.

Shortly afterwards, Fred comes out from his room and we walk down the stairs, hand in hand.

When we reach the living room, we notice Kingsley Shacklebolt waiting there for us. He smiles at us as we approach and do the same in return

"That's everyone," Mrs Weasley says, frowning.

_It's not everyone_ I think to myself _Ron's not here._

"Okay then," starts Kingsley. "I am aware that everyone in this room took part in fighting in the Battle of Hogwarts. I have been appointed as the new Minister of Magic and so myself and some other ministry workers, have decided upon a few things. Firstly, there will be a memorial at Hogsmede for all those who fell during the Battle. Ron, Remus, Tonks and Snape will all get their faces carved onto the memorial, for they showed true bravery not only during the battle, but long beforehand too. Secondly, anyone who took part, so all of year, have earned a place in the Auror Office. You don't have to accept the place, but if you do, you start Auror training on September 1st, NEWTs are not needed."

I look over at Harry who is beaming his face off. He also catches my eye and we both know that we should go for it. We both confirm this with Kingsley and then look at Fred, George and Ginny.

The twins step forward and Fred says "I'm sorry, Kingsley, but we're going to have to reject your offer."

"You see, we have a shop to run," George finishes.

"I though you wouldn't," Kingsley says. "And you, Ginny?"

"No thanks, I want to be a Quidditch player," she says proudly.

"Um, no you won't," says Mrs Weasley "You will either accept the offer or return to Hogwarts for your final year."

"No, mum. I want to be a Quidditch player, what's the point of going back to school if I don't need NEWTs?"

"I just want you to have a secure future."

"Yeah, and I will playing Quidditch!"

"No you won't. What happens if you don't get picked for a team?"

"You're so paranoid! It's my life I can do what I want!" And with that, she storms away and up the stairs.

"Well, I better get going, lots to do at the ministry at the moment. I'm sorry that I'm keeping Arthur away from you so much, it's just that he's a valuable member of the team," says Kingsley.

"Oh, it's no problem, Kingsley," Mrs Weasley says.

Then Kingsley leaves and Fred and I fall back on the sofa. I look him in the eye and say "I'm going to be an Auror."


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry guys, this chapter's a bit boring but I needed to fill in some space and I wanted to include Harry's birthday in some way or another. Next chapter is coming soon and remember to review! :) Thanks **

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**Chapter 11**

It's been a month now since Fred and George moved back into their apartment above the shop. It's quite sad not having Fred around 24/7 although he does visit regularly and I see him at the shop every day. I've really been enjoying working at the shop and it's helped me scrape up enough money to buy my own flat in Diagon Alley. Today, during our lunch break, Fred and eye go for my first viewing of a flat which is just across the street from Gringotts. At 1pm we stand outside and wait for the estate agent. After about five minutes of waiting, an elderly man with wispy, white hair and purple robes approaches us. He is fairly short and slightly crooked.

"You must be Miss Granger," he says as he scuttles towards us. He reaches out his hand towards me and I shake it.

"Yes, and this is my boyfriend, Fred Weasley." Fred shakes his hand too.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both, my name is William Barnable and I will be showing you this flat today."

He rummages in his pocket and takes out a key. He unlocks the door with it and lets us in. After climbing a fair amount of stairs, we stop and he takes out another key and unlocks a door with the number 21 on it. When we enter, we are in the living room straight away. It is light and spacious which takes me by surprise. There is a Floo fireplace and one of the walls is one big window which looks out on muggle London. There is no furniture at the moment but a picture is already starting to form in my head of how it should look. Next, we look into the kitchen which is a bit small, which is fine considering it's just going to be me living here. There is a small shower room with a toilet next to the kitchen which would need work on it. There is only one bedroom but it's big and has as en-suite. The en-suite bathroom is a lot bigger than the shower room which is a very good thing.

After we finish looking around, William gives us time to talk by ourselves.

"I really like it and it's not too expensive either. I think I'm going for it," I say to Fred, as we sit on the floor in the living room, our backs pressed against the window.

"I agree, it's way nicer than our apartment. I may even move in with you," he says, putting his arm around my shoulders.

And that was that, I put a deposit on the flat and moved in three weeks later. Fred helped me choose furniture and carry it into the house. He also volunteered to paint the walls and clean the shower room. Once we're done, I treat Fred to a classic muggle Chinese takeaway, which we eat on my brand new sofa.

"Thank you so much for helping me out, Fred, I really appreciate it," I say as put my plate on the coffee table.

"It's no problem, I'm always here if you need me. Besides, we can Floo each other whenever we want now."

I laugh "Well, I'm looking forward to that."

"I bet you will. Anyway, I best be off, I promised George I'd be back by eight to help him develop a new product idea," Fred says, standing.

"Wow, Fred, you're such a promising guy," I say as I wrap my arms around his neck. We kiss and then he steps into the fire, saluting just before he spins out of view.

After he leaves, I start unpacking some of my stuff in my bedroom. I start with all my clothes, putting them in drawers or in the wardrobe. I place three framed pictures on my chest of drawers; one of me, Harry and Ron when we were in our first year at Hogwarts, one of me and Fred and one of me and my parents. The first two are moving pictures, taken from a magic camera while the one of me and my parents is stationary.

After my bedroom looks cosy enough, I decide to get some sleep because it's Harry's birthday tomorrow.

I wake up to the sun shining on my face, something I never got at the Burrow. I get up and make use of my en-suite bathroom for the first time ever. The shower is nice and warm and as I'm rinsing out my hair, I hear my name being called from the living room.

"Hermione! It's Fred, don't panic!"

"I'm in the shower!" I shout.

After a few seconds, Fred enters the bathroom. "Morning, beautiful," he says, eyeing me up and down.

"Hey, wanna join me in my brand new shower?" I ask.

"Yes, please," he says quickly and before I know it, he's undressed and standing next to me under the shower. "Wow, this is a really nice shower."

"Yeah, it is. And it's big too, so there's enough space for the both of us."

"Well, I better get used to this then," Fred says before he picks me up and leans me against the wall. "This reminds me of that time we were in the sprinklers, except this time, I won't let you run away." And then he kisses me.

Four hours later, we apparate to the Burrow and greet everyone in the kitchen. Hagrid, Mcgonagall and Kingsley are all there to celebrate Harry's eighteenth birthday. I go up to the birthday boy himself.

"Happy birthday, Harry. In the muggle world, now would be your coming of age, but of course you had all that last year," I say, handing him his present.

"Thanks, Hermione. Yeah, I'm not making a big deal considering it's Ginny's seventeenth in a couple of weeks," he says, smiling.

"Oh, yeah. That's exciting," I say.

The rest of the afternoon goes by very quickly and before I know it, I'm back in my bed in my appartment in my bed. It's a good thing I bought a double, because Fred is lying beside me.


	12. Epilogue

A/N

**Sorry that it's been so long since I've updated, I haven't really got round to it. I'm sort of getting to the end of this fanfic now because I just want to keep it short and sweet instead of dragging it out like I'm doing now. So this is the epilogue. Please review! It's really important for me to know what's good and what's bad so I know what to improve for future fanfics. Thanks everyone! :) I really hope that you enjoyed reading this fanfic!**

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**Epilogue** - **5 Years Later**

I sit at the breakfast table as Fred flips pancakes for us. I watch my husband as I play with my coffee cup and he turns to look at me. "I still don't understand how you can drink that stuff, Hermione, it's vile."

"Well, I like it, and so does our baby, apparently," I say as I rub my baby bump. I've had a craving for coffee for quite a while now.

Fred puts two pancakes on my plate and two on his. I look at him, one eyebrow raised, which forces him to put another on my plate.

"I keep forgetting that I'm feeding three of us, and any time in the next few weeks there'll be three mouths," he says as he sprinkles his pancake with sugar.

"Stop complaining, you're not the one who's been carrying our child for nine months and is having to push it out of my-"

"I get the point," Fred interrupts.

I tuck into my pancakes and feel the baby kicking. "She's kicking again," I say casually as I chew.

Half an hour later, Fred and I are sitting on the couch, my head on his shoulder.

"I never have any energy anymore, I just can't wait until I get her out of me, then you can look after her for nine months," I say, feeling annoyed for no specific reason.

"Yeah, hopefully you'll stop having so many mood swings and be the Hermione I know and love again."

I stand up and say "I need the toilet again, it's extremely irritating."

So, I make my way up the stairs slowly and enter the bathroom. I'm breathing heavily as if I'd just ran a mile without stopping. I do my business and then I make my way to the bedroom for a nap. Just as I'm falling asleep, I hear Fred call "Hermione? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just taking a nap," I shout back. Fred has been so caring during the last nine months, he's never left my side. I have had a go at him many times though, but that's not my fault, I can't help the fact that I have sudden mood swings.

After a long time of lying and not sleeping, I get up and go to the toilet again. Then I make my way down the stairs again.

Just as I'm halfway across the corridor, though, I feel a pain in my stomach.

"Fred!" I shout, and then my water breaks.


End file.
